The Labor enquirer., 1887-05-21
CAPITALISTIC TREASON.

The associated press again brings the
tidings, capped with glaring headlines, OF
the ruthless trampling under foot of Amer
lean liberty in Allegheny City, Pa. 1t states
that Walter W. vrooman, former editor of
the Labor Organizer, (brother of the asso-
ciate editor of the ESQUIRER), in speech,
said the American flag was stick with a
a rag on it. Concerning this we can learn
nothing from the hired liars of the asso-
ciated press, but from disinterested east
tern papers we learn that large numbers
of ward politicians and buns were present
to hiss and in every way possible disturb
the speaker, and for their disturbance
no doubt planned and paid for-the lect-
urer was arrested and fined twenty five
dollars.
The capitalistic pirates of liberty, wish
ing to satisfy the public conscience, ap-
peals to driveling preiucice and strive
to arouse popular indignation by circula-
ting the report that he ''ihsulted the flag"
Nothing is more improbable than that he
used the language attributed to him in
any such manner as was inferred in the as
sociated liars dispatch. As usual we see
a total lack of fairness or even an attempt
at fairness in the report. These organs of
the "better classes" these refining and
elevating journals of the educated, the
moral and the cultured of society, can
give the minuteist details of a cock fight
describing vividly the pit, the gamester,
the wagers, the description and pedigree
of the cocks and every turn and tussle in
the british squable; all this that their
refined patrons may be thoroughly in
formed on the matter. A whole page may
be dedicated to base ball reports, and then
they think they are doing their cultured
pensioners but meager justice in furnish
ing data that will not allow them to err
in judgment upon so important an issue.
But when issues arise which shock the
heart of civilization itself; when the wage
earners-a market commodity assert
their rights to be men; when in response
to this universal cry for knowledge, a
student of political and social economy
discourses on the scientific structure of So
ciety; when to stop education, to stife the
rising thirst of the people for knowledge,
free speech is throttled by brute force:
liberty is prostituted law is outraged.
When the constitution and personal liber
ty are trodden under foot; when boasting-
ly the largest metropolitan papers of the
land display four large scare heads on the
front page to announce that reformer
had been jailed for daring to disturb cap
italistic robbery by his unhallowed criti-
cism; when they give but one sentence of
the speakers whole address, and that most
probably lie; does that represent fair
ness on the part of the public news-gath-
erers, who are so particular about the
details of cock fight!
If this nation is ever deluged in blood
from the development of the industrial
question, it can be laid chiefly at the doors
of the unfair, exasperating falsities Of the
capitalistic news prostitutes. The associ-
ated liars dispatch says: "vrooman said
the American flag was stick with a rag
nailedto it," Whether he said so or not
is of little consequence compared with the
fact that the action of those representing
that flag proved the assertion was true in
SO far as it referred to the vicinity of
Pittsburg. But what of the rest of the
speech! Where Is it,. A speech which so
disturbed the city as to demand the arrest
of the speaker, and created so worldwide
a sensation as to command the four largest
display heads on the front page of met
ropolitan daily, published over thousand
miles from the scene of the trouble. surely
in equity, would demand as fair and full a
report as a cock fight in pit. The pub
lie have as good a right to know what was
said. and it is of as much impor ance to
society, as was the last base ball game,
But, oh, no; one sentence was all that
was given-disconnected, broken, all alone
without antecedent or compliment, with
no connection whatever. From this the
world is to judge of the merits of the case
and uphold the police authority of Penn
sylvania city in trampling the United
States constitution under foot. I
What words coulu be as reasonable as
this action of the authorities, in over
riding the first requisite of constitutional
liberty freedom of speech:
What argument could so boom Anarchy
as this demonstration. absolute and un-
answerable, that our governmental
best the world ever saw, etc, etc-is the